Apparently he would show up at incidents such as traffic accidents in firefighter turnout gear with a first aid kit in hand. In his vehicle were found other firefighter equipment, including red and white warning lights and a siren!
It's illegal in Virginia to pretend to be a firefighter, for obvious reasons. Firefighters are trained and equipped to rescue and save lives. If an impersonator shows up and a victim puts his/her trust in him because he carries the equipment and wears the gear, the end result could be tragic.
A friend of mine recently said to me, "I got the church beat out of me", referring to his childhood experience in a parochial school. Another friend jumped in and said, "The priest cussed me at the altar for accidently spilling the wine". Those wearing the uniform of religion and who had taken vows to represent their version of Christ used cruelty and indiscriminate corporal punishment and belittling to "instruct" him in the "ways of God". They held the Bible in their hands and wore crucifixes around their necks. But even a child could see that something didn't match up.
And let's not fool ourselves. Every church has them.
That's what religion does. It's an imposter. An impersonator. A pretender. And the ramifications are tragic. People put their trust in those claiming to represent God. Not only does religion injure and hurt, it does so for eternity. I'm stuck here thinking, "How can I show them the difference between religion and Christ? What makes me different?" And equally important, "Can they see the difference?"
Jesus lowered the boom on that kind of religion and it's leaders. He said,
The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the Scriptures. So practice and obey whatever they say to you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush you with impossible religious demands and never lift a finger to help ease the burden.
“Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear extra long tassels on their robes. And how they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the most prominent seats in the synagogue! They enjoy the attention they get on the streets, and they enjoy being called ‘rabbi.’ Don’t ever let anyone call you ‘rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are on the same level as brothers and sisters. And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father. And don’t let anyone call you ‘Master,’ for there is only one master, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." (Matthew 23:1-12 NLT)
“Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear extra long tassels on their robes. And how they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the most prominent seats in the synagogue! They enjoy the attention they get on the streets, and they enjoy being called ‘rabbi.’ Don’t ever let anyone call you ‘rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are on the same level as brothers and sisters. And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father. And don’t let anyone call you ‘Master,’ for there is only one master, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." (Matthew 23:1-12 NLT)
Real Christianity has nothing to do with religion or its trappings. It's about Christ and knowing Him. It's about being a servant to others and reconciling and restoring. The only way to show the difference is to live His life. There's the challenge.
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6 comments:
check out Rob Bell's Nooma Video "Sunday" for more good stuff along these lines...
That scripture verse sounds exactly like you Rick. Head of the table a bit to impressed with yourself and quick to judge someone else. Look at how good a christian I am and how lousy you are. You might want to read it with care and insight.
Wow! That hurts! But it also makes me think, too.
Since I have no clue as to who you are I can't really put any weight on what you're saying. But that doesn't mean it won't make me take a long look within.
Don't worry about it Rick. Anyone who drive-by posts as anonymous is not worth fretting over. Keep on keeping on brother.
Yeesh. Yeah Rick. Don't worry about it unless you need to. I don't know you very well of course, but from what I have read of your posts you don't seem to fit that bill.
I mean, you went out of your way to make that post, and that's not a message that clergy that I know throws around very much.
That's the tough thing about putting yourself out there, isn't it? And it's exponentially worse when you're on the internet.
I gotta say, I read "wave's" comment the same day it was posted. My first impulse was to jump in and defend Rick. I had a right to! Righteous indignation... feels so good when you know you're justified! That's what I wanted to do... but my pastor has taught me that "natural reactions" sometimes have to be squelched with supernatural control. He's taught me what the Bible says about holding your tongue (which I'm sure includes your keyboard these days!) My pastor has taught me how the enemy can cause people with good intentions to get into arguments and come out sounding worse than the one they are arguing with. I decided to wait a few days, secretly hoping Rick wouldn't even read the comment. You always want to protect those you care about. I'm glad I waited, because as I read his response it was just another opportunity for him to model the kind of humility that he is made of. I wasn't surprised at all when I read the blog "Impersonators", because it's all about "what the Bible says" and that's always, always what my pastor's about.
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